Lochboisdale ferry
The more I see of the proposal by Storas Uibhist to commission the MV Claymore to make the run to Mallaig, the more impressed I am by the robustness of this approach.
As a long time supporter of a separate Mallaig-Lochboisdale run (rather than having Lochboisdale and Castlebay fighting over the same ferry), the proposal has all the necessary merits and few demerits.
I appreciate that there might be a few issues with the vessel itself , although I don't know enough to make anything more than a superficial comment, and that issues relating to the replacement of the vessel in the event of breakdown require to be looked at, but none of these are insurmountable if there is the political will to deliver the service.
The Government has now been very cleverly boxed in, after they claimed that there were no available vessels, and I suspect that they have nowhere to go, other than being unable to find the deficit funding; which will be an unacceptable excuse to islanders.
(I suspect the political nous of Brian Wilson in the ways these proposals are formulated, which will serve to infuraiate certain local politicians.)
With the full support of the (so far silent) MP and MSP, these plans should be able to be pushed through quickly, and I hope that the whole community will get behind the plan and force the Government to deliver this long overdue service.
As a long time supporter of a separate Mallaig-Lochboisdale run (rather than having Lochboisdale and Castlebay fighting over the same ferry), the proposal has all the necessary merits and few demerits.
I appreciate that there might be a few issues with the vessel itself , although I don't know enough to make anything more than a superficial comment, and that issues relating to the replacement of the vessel in the event of breakdown require to be looked at, but none of these are insurmountable if there is the political will to deliver the service.
The Government has now been very cleverly boxed in, after they claimed that there were no available vessels, and I suspect that they have nowhere to go, other than being unable to find the deficit funding; which will be an unacceptable excuse to islanders.
(I suspect the political nous of Brian Wilson in the ways these proposals are formulated, which will serve to infuraiate certain local politicians.)
With the full support of the (so far silent) MP and MSP, these plans should be able to be pushed through quickly, and I hope that the whole community will get behind the plan and force the Government to deliver this long overdue service.
5 comments:
This could and should be good. Even better if, just for once, the transport companies did some joined up thinking and connected the ferry with the train to Glasgow.
Ergo residents can get to Glasgow (and Fort William) easily the same day. And tourists can leave the central belt and get here the same day too.
Bearing in mind the catastrophically useless attitude to joined-up public transport in the UK - and you can see examples of this lunacy on Skye - am not optimistic.
"I suspect the political nous of Brian Wilson in the ways these proposals are formulated"
No, no, no. Brian Wilson is "no longer involved in politics".
perhaps the political nous of BW helping out the South Uist branch of the Labour party
Yes, i too support the same to connecting the ferry with the train to Glasgow. Indeed fine idea.
Connecting the ferry with the train to Glasgow is a good proposal. Hope it comes out of the political tangle. Traveling on ferries would be so nice!
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